Inner-tube armor for pneumatic tires.



P. G. GIDDENS & C. M. BASS.

INNER TUBE ARMOR FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 22. I917.

Patented Apr. 16; 1918;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- um-M1301 6 P. GQGIDOENS &'c. M. BASS.

I NNER TUBE ARMOR FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1911.

1,263,054. Patented Apr. 16, 1918. I

2- SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. creased.

UNitTED srarns rarnnr orrron' PERRY G. GIDDENS AND CURTIS M. BASS, 0F COLUMBUS, GEORGIA.

' INNER-TUBE ARMOR FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PERRY G. (humans and (loans M. BAss, citizens of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of lvluscogee and .State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inner-Tube Armors for Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in armor devices for the inner tubes of pneumatic tires to protect the inner tube from puncture, and has for one of its objects to provide a device of this character including a plurality of armor plates overlapping at their confronting ends and inserted between the casing and the inner tube and effectually protecting the latter from puncture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character including a plurality of armor plates having longitudinally directed recesses and hingedly united members secured to the plates within the recesses, whereby the device is caused to yield in all directions to the movements of the casing and its flexibility materially in- Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily applied to pneumatic tires of various forms and sizes without structural; change in the casing or the inner tube and without material structural change in the attachment.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the inner tube of a pneumatic tire with the improved armor device applied and with the casing and rim in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;-

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of one of the protecting or armor plates;

Fig. 4 represents the coupling elements whereby the armor plates are flexibly united and supported.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device comprises a plurality Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed May 22, 1917.

Serial No. 170,229. 7

entirely encompass the interior of the casing and the exterior, of the inner tube. The armor plates will be curved to correspond to the relative sizes of the inner tube and the casing, and will be varied as the casing and tube are increased or decreased in size.

The casing of the tire is represented at lO and the inner tube at 11, the casing having the usual ribs 12 to engage the clencher rims 13 of the wheel rim 14:, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. The armor plates are represented at 15 and overlap at their confronting ends as indicated in Fig. 1. Each of the armor plates 15 is provided with a longitudinally directed recess shown at 16 in Fig. 3, and fitting, within each recess is a smaller plate 17 and held in place by a clamp plate 18 which bears over the outer face of the armor plate 15 and the adjacent portion of the plate 17 and secured thereto by rivets or like fastening devices 19. The outer edges of the plates 17 of each pair of the protecting members 15 are hingedly united as shown at 20. The hinged portions projecting outwardly so that the inner faces of the armorplates 15 and the hinge plates 17 are flush or without projections. The sides of the recesses 16 are of greater length than the plates 17, so that the overlapping portions of the main plates 15 extend beyond the hinge portion 20, thus efiectually preventing the formation of gaps or openings between the contiguous and overlapping edges of the armor plates under the movements of the tire casing. By this arrangement also the central portions of the armor plates are flexible or yieldable independently of the side portions thereby materially increasing the flexibility over all parts of the casing and armor. Disposed between the armor plates 15 and the hinge plates 17 and the inner tube ll'is a' strip of yieldable material such as asbestos paper or the like, represented at 21, to protect the inner tube from contact with the plates. The protecting member 21 is wider transversely than the armor plates 15 so that it projects at its edges beyond the edges of the armor plates, and thus prevents any direct contact between the inner tube and the armor plates. The eonends, the ends of said armor plates having fronting edges of the members 17t,are confronting recesses, filler members hingedly beveled as 'shown at'22 in Fig; toprevent united and engaging in" the recesses, and less displacement betWeen --the;.parts whenpresinslengththan thewlepths of the recesses, 5 sure is applied. By this simple means the Wherebythe outer and overlapping portions protecting or arn1or. ,plates 15,1 ares-flexibly of .tl1e armor plates extend beyond the united and thus yield to the movements of hingetlly united ends of the filler members, i the casing and the innertube Wl11TWVBlgllt andela-mp members united respectively to i is applied to the axle, or When the tire passes the filler members and to the armor plates.

10-; over obstructions or inequalities in theroad. 2. A guard for pneumatic-tirescompris- 13y th is arrangement' ot"theparts a -sub- "inga; plurality of sheet metal armor plates stantially -smooth or regularoontaot surface c'u1-ved:transverselyto" conform-to thetire -=isj produced between the inner tube and Fthe J casing and overlapping at theiroonfronting i-tire easing. The improved clevice is applied "-en'ds,* theends oisaidarmor plates having 15" oirly'to the'ou-ter er-exposedportionsof the confronting'recessesjfiller members-hingedly inn'er tubeandmf the casing. The apertures eunited and engagedwin the J recesses; and

for the rivets 1S arecounters'uhka in both means iormriiting lthe filler' m'embers to the the members 17 and 18 so tliatno part of't'he armor pla-tes.

rivet proj ects b eyond' the general surface of Fl 3. The combination -with a tire including zo the armor plates 'or the suppor tingplates 18. the easing a-nd inner inflatable tube, ot a iBy-employing asbestos material it for the guardcomprisingsa plurality of. sheet-metal j pr'otesting' member 21 a ll danger from-*lreat aarm'or plates'eurved transversely toicor'it'orm is prevented asthe asbestos lSfifIlOII-GOIiClUO- f to: the tire c'asin g :and overlapping 1 at their :i-ti-ve material. -.'-By'-this means'the inner tube confrontingwnds and disposed between the m-iilat-ed -Or absorbed by the "casing in hot plates having confronting recessesffiller 60 "Weather. Anotheradvantage of the d'ev-i'ce *members'=hingedly unite d-and engaging in "-is' -the= -f-a"ct that theplates 17 together wi-th is the I recesses and .ll'ess ini leiigtli "than the the hingei devicesfltl may'be' constructed'of depths ofi the recesses,"whereby ithe outer harder metal than thebody portionsof the andoverlappingportionsof the arm'or' plates plates 15;ior instanoe, tempered Steel; and extend beyond-' the hingedly- -united= ends: of thus enabled:to withstand thegreaten strain the filler nrembers, and clamp -m' embers iatdWlrioh theyWill besubjeotedwhen in use. unitedrespectiwely to the'filler members and i Having tl1uS 'dBSCFibd t-heiIlVBIlClOllgWVhRt wto the armor plates. 'isielaimed asnewis: In testimony whereof We aflix our-signa- '*1. A5 gua-rd -i'or pneumatic -tires"comprist-ure's. a ing aplurality of 'sheetmetal: armor-"plates -"curved transversely to conform-tot the tire FE RRYL GQTGIDDENS, gi

' -casin'g-'andioverlapping attheir-coirfronting GURTISEMJFBASS. [Las] 'ri -Gopiea inizthis gartimtrmay;be -ubtaa1nezi;for. fivei centsisachfijbyraddressingnthe 5F Commissioner ofilatents,

. ;Washington, D. C. 

